Prompted to apply for the program by History Department Chair and Global Initiatives Coordinator, Dr. Susan Corbesero, Ashley knew this once in a lifetime experience was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. “I have always loved all things British, so when I saw Ellis was offering an exchange in London, I thought it might be a good fit. But it wasn’t until Dr. Corbesero found me in homeroom and asked where my application was that I knew I could do it.”

The formal exchange for Ashley began when her British counterpart, Nina Knowles, joined the Upper School community for two weeks this past fall. When it was Ashley’s turn to travel across the pond this spring, she stayed with Nina’s family at their home in the center of London, just five minutes from Oxford Street. From conversations with Nina’s younger sister, to cooking dinner with her host mom, Ashley was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and relaxed her host family made her feel during the stay. She would eat dinner with the family and join them each morning for coffee and espresso at a local cafe, before being dropped off with Nina at Queen’s College in the heart of London.

Queen’s College is an independent day school in the City of Westminster for girls aged 11-18.

Much like Ellis in its dedication and commitment to the education and empowerment of girls, Ashley was able to see and appreciate the similarities and differences between Queen’s and Ellis quickly.

“Queen’s was actually a lot like Ellis in terms of size and how faculty and students interacted, but the coursework was very different. Starting sophomore year, students at Queen's are able to study certain subjects of interest, rather than just taking core classes. They also don’t have much homework at all, and if they did, they would have time to get it done at school. The teachers there were definitely more traditional with lecture-style teaching at Queen’s. At Ellis, the teachers are really hands-on and that’s something I missed.”

Outside of school, Ashley had the chance to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum, Buckingham Palace, The National Gallery, Kensington Gardens, Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben. But it wasn’t the tourist attractions that caught her eye the most, it was the smaller details, like the architecture, the quaintness of side city streets, and the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens.

“When I saw the Peter Pan statue, I felt an immediate connection with it. I stared at the statue for twenty minutes in the rain without even realizing it. I was memorized by it’s beauty and so inspired by it that I wrote a poem about it for my Mom,” explained Ashley, a keen creative writer.

To wrap up their participation in the International Exchange Program, Ashley and Nina worked on a project about immigration and diversity in Pittsburgh and London. At Queen’s, the girls participated in a roundtable discussion about the project, and Ashley is currently continuing the project on her own and writing pieces about her experience.

“I look back on London and think I can’t believe I went to another country for two weeks without my family! The whole experience made me feel really independent and capable. I learned a lot about myself and built connections with people I would never had had the chance to meet otherwise. London was my first step in my study abroad chapter, now that I’ve been there, I know I can go somewhere else too.”

Global Initiatives Coordinator Dr. Susan Corbesero has developed the Upper School International Exchange Program over the past few years to give Ellis students the opportunity to travel and learn in London or Australia. Global education has become an important addition to the Ellis curriculum across all school divisions, and Dr. Corbesero is dedicated to encouraging Ellis girls to think about and explore both local and global problems.

To read more about Global Initiatives in the Upper School, click here.